1895.] ~ 71 [Brinton. 



in the beginning, Mr. Swan's process, notwithstanding its striking simi- 

 larity to Mr. Outerbridge's, may be fairly original with Mr. Swan, but it 

 was also original with Mr. Outerbridge some seventeen years before Mr. 

 .«ean appears to have made his achievement known. 



The Protohistoric Ethnography of Western Asia. 



By Daniel G. Brinton, 31. D. 



{Read before the American Philosophical Society. April 19, 1805.) 



Many of the most weighty problems in ethnography and in 

 the history of civilization depend for their solution on the rela- 

 tive positions of races and linguistic stocks in western Asia at 

 the dawn of history. The numerous special studies which have 

 been devoted to the archaeology of this region are abundantly 

 justified by the importance of the results obtained and yet to be 

 expected. 



It is my intention in this article to examine these studies with 

 the aim of ascertaining what races and stocks occupied the area 

 in question in protohistoric times, and where lay the lines of de- 

 marcation between them. It is possible that by bringing to 

 bear upon the questions involved the general principles of eth- 

 nographic research, some light may be thrown on points still 

 obscure. This I shall have in view when it appears applicable. 



The area to be considered is roughly that portion of Asia be- 

 tween the thirtieth and fortieth parallels of north latitude, and 

 west of the fiftieth meridian east of Grreenwich. It includes 

 the whole' of the Euphrates-Tigris valley, Syria, Asia Minor 

 and Trans-Caucasia. 



Alleged Prehistoric Races. 



The assertion has been often made that there are indications of 

 races in this area belonging to other varieties of the human 

 family than those discovered there in the protohistoric period. 



These statements require to be examined as a preliminary to 

 the study of the earliest historic peoples. 



